An Arizona State University fraternity has been placed on probation for hazing after photos of a whipwielding woman and the red, bare buttocks of male students were released to university administrators earlier this year, officials said.

July 2, 2004

With a vision of increasing communication and reducing crime, Mesa Police Chief George Gascón announced Wednesday that he is reorganizing the department.

A review of how the Scottsdale Police Department deals with job applicants who have histories of illegal drug use will be released Monday or Tuesday, said City Councilman David Ortega.

Many said the bright, colorful patch put police officers' safety at risk while some said it was confusing to read. But others bemoan the fact that the shield-shaped, yellow and light blue patch, a unique Mesa icon, is changing after 30 years.

Four internal investigations and reviews into the Scottsdale Police Department are still under way — months after they began.

A botched narcotics case has raised troubling questions about a blacklist compiled by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office that brands local police officers as possibly unreliable to testify in court.

Police officers say low morale, lack of pay raises and shrinking resources make it harder to justify staying on the Mesa Police Department as the city faces a financial crisis.

Police officers say low morale, lack of pay raises and shrinking resources make it harder to justify staying on the Mesa Police Department as the city faces a financial crisis.

The Arizona State Fraternal Order of Police has put its support behind the reelection of President Bush.

Scottsdale police employees are frustrated by what they view as inaction concerning revelations of past illegal drug use by a top police executive, the president of the Scottsdale chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police said Wednesday.

Two Mesa police unions soon will know which one will represent sworn officers before the city manager and council to discuss job-related issues, but both will continue to exist before the police department’s administration.

The Chandler Lieutenants and Sergeants Association (CLASA) in association with the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs (AZCOPS), local 7077 has unanimously endorsed the candidacy of Donna Wallace for Chandler City Council.

Stepping into Chandler’s mayoral race, the union representing the city’s rankand-file police officers issued a warning Thursday of understaffing and outdated communication systems.

Mesa Police Chief Dennis Donna and City Councilman Mike Whalen met with police officers Saturday to diffuse their anger over the city’s public-relations handling of recent officer-involved shootings, a police representative said.

The area’s top two prosecutors declined to investigate allegations of improper conduct within the Scottsdale Police Department.

Supporters of proposals to hike Scottsdale sales taxes to fund expansion of the city’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve and public safety improvements have organized a political action committee.

The Scottsdale Police Department is changing, but not tightening, its hiring policies following a seven-week review of its pre-employment drug use standards.

New disclosures about illegal drug use by Scottsdale police employees raise additional questions about the department’s hiring policies, said the president of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Scottsdale City Councilman and mayoral candidate David Ortega called for a review of police hiring policies Thursday.

Scottsdale Police Chief Alan Rodbell confirmed Thursday that he has initiated inquiries into internal police issues involving the department’s top civilian employee.

Mesa police will be ready to enforce Arizona's new immigration law even if it takes two more months to fully instruct officers on its complexities, police Chief Frank Milstead said.

August 21, 2004

There's a new chief in town.